


ignite (embers in our eyes)

by amako



Category: Naruto
Genre: (you should expect this by now), Hyuuga Neji Lives, Light Angst, Misunderstandings, Multi, Overprotective friends, Secret Relationship, duh - Freeform, this is all ilah's fault
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-03
Updated: 2018-03-03
Packaged: 2019-03-26 14:54:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13860096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amako/pseuds/amako
Summary: In retrospect, Sakura probably should have expected something like this to happen. When your closest family is five men competing for the title of shinobi with the biggest issues, you start to anticipate some things.An intervention, in her garden, at three in the morning, is not one of those things.





	ignite (embers in our eyes)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [theformerone](https://archiveofourown.org/users/theformerone/gifts).



> A gift, to a precious enabler. Sorry about the small bit of angst, you know who I am.

In retrospect, Sakura probably should have expected something like this to happen. When your closest family is five men competing for the title of shinobi with the biggest issues, you start to anticipate some things.

An intervention, in her garden, at three in the morning, is not one of those things.

 

“What are you doing.” It's not a question. Not when they're looking at her with deadly serious eyes, arms crossed over their chest like she's about to be scolded. Naruto looks downright murderous when he takes a step in her direction.

“Sakura, we need to talk about your relationship with Shikamaru.”

 

Oh, boy.

 

“What about it?”

“We do not believe him to be an appropriate choice of partner for you anymore,” Sai says carefully, like he's crafting his words. That does not help a bit with the urge to punch them in the jaw.

“What Sai is trying to say,” Yamato adds, “is that we're concerned about his level of commitment.”

 

Her eyes narrow. She's not one to brag, but she's probably the smartest people in a ten metres radius and it barely takes her a second to figure out where this is going. She gives herself two more to swallow the cursing impulse before replying.

 

“Are you suggesting Shikamaru is cheating on me?”

 

The men in her life have the decency to look uncomfortable, but none of them backs out. She throws her arms up.

 

“I can't believe this! What gives you the right to invade our privacy like this? What kind of proof do you have? Because let me tell you, I know him a lot better than you lot and I seriously doubt you know what you're talking about.”

 

Sakura didn't expect them to find out so soon, but to come to the wrong conclusions is entirely their type. Look at the past five years and count the messes Sasuke has been involved in by ways of misunderstanding.

 

“Kakashi-sensei saw him kissing Neji!” Naruto snarls. Sakura looks up at her former teacher and raises an eyebrow. He looks back without flinching but she can see that he's angry as well.

“That's all well and good but again, this is none of your business. Get out of my house before I make you.”

Sasuke bares his teeth. “So you're just going to let it go? He's disrespecting you like this and you're not going to say anything?”

 

Sakura slowly, deliberately, crosses her arms. Then she looks him right in the eyes and stares. And stares some more. Sasuke shifts slightly, before putting his weight on one foot and cocking his hip, his posture defensive. Sakura keeps on staring. He looks away.

 

“Want to tell me about men disrespecting me, Sasuke?” He doesn't answer. Smart boy. “Now I believe we're finished. I repeat, get out, or I _will_ make you.”

 

They don't push the issue, but she can see this is not over yet. She's suddenly grateful that she's back from a mission and covered in grime and dirt. They might not have let it go at two in the afternoon after babysitting Mirai. Exhausted, Sakura sighs, and goes to bed.

She's on the edge of falling asleep, her thoughts turned towards the insane conversation she just had, when the bamboo panel of her door slides open. A dark shape crawls in, followed a second later by another one.

Sakura doesn't move, only waits for the two bodies to curl around her, arms and legs shifting to accommodate the strange way they all fit together.

 

“I'm home,” she whispers into the silence. Twin voices welcome her back and she smiles softly. “Remind me to tell you about my team in the morning.”

“We will. Now sleep.”

 

A kiss settles on her brow, a warm breath tickling the back of her neck, and she falls asleep.

 

Morning is a quiet affair. Neji takes care of her laundry and Shikamaru washes her back in the shower before leaving her to soak in a hot bath. The three of them have breakfast in the garden, a square space of green heaven surrounded by her traditional house, courtesy of the new Hokage. It does help, being a war hero. You get privileges.

She's munching on umeboshi while Neji hands a serving of omurice to Shikamaru, when they remember to ask about her team. She gives a dejected sigh and puts down her bowl.

 

“They're all idiots. Well-meaning ones, granted, but idiots.”

“What did they do this time?”

Sakura looks up at their fond faces and sighs again. “They caught you two kissing and came to warn me that Shikamaru is cheating on me.”

 

The Nara groans and falls on his back, arms sprawled around his limp body. Neji grumbles something as his dark hair comes to hide his blushing face.

 

“I told you both this would bite us in the ass,” she says, putting another plum in her mouth.

“I thought we were discreet!” Neji screeches, his cool composure shattered. “How did they find out?”

“Kakashi-sensei caught you.”

“Fuck,” Shikamaru huffs.

“Yeah well, you're not the one they welcomed home with a fucking intervention,” she snaps.

 

She throws her chopsticks with more force than she intended and they bury themselves into the wood of her terrace.

 

“I'm sick of hiding! This is stupid!”

 

Shikamaru sits up and looks at the both of them, his face serious. Neji frowns at her.

 

“You know why we do it, my clan–”

“Fuck your clan!”

 

Sakura gets to her feet and puts her hands on her hips, looking at the sky in hopes of calming herself. Gods, it hurts. It hurts so bad. She knows it's hurting him too, and Shikamaru. But right now, she just wants to be selfish for a while.

 

“I want to be with you, Neji. We both want that. I'm tired of not having this.”

“You're with me, you are!” Neji rises, a hand going to touch her, but she steps back before she can think about it. He takes a step back, trying his best not to show how much he hates her rejection. He fails.

“No, we're not,” Shikamaru says, quietly. “We're not,” he repeats, gathering their abandoned breakfast. He disappears inside the house, and Sakura follows.

 

Neji doesn't.

 

 

 

The evening tastes bittersweet, where Neji's absence shines as they walk around the village. Sakura is quiet, enjoying the feeling of Shikamaru's body pressed against hers, but missing Neji all the same. She knows the Nara is, too.

They stop at a tea stall, where a young couple offers them macha. It's also where the rest of Team 7 chooses to ambush them.

 

“Good evening, Sakura-chan, Shikamaru.”

 

Sakura narrows her eyes at Kakashi's false cheer.

 

“Pick your next words carefully,” she warns, displeasure evident on her features.

“We know you cheated on Sakura,” Sai says, looking straight at Shikamaru. “We're here to tell you to leave her alone. She deserves better than–”

 

She doesn't let him finish. His face is buried thirty centimetres in the dust before he can react.

 

“What did I say,” she spits, “about picking your words?”

“Sakura, we're only looking out for you,” Yamato says gently, like he's talking to a small child.

“You don't know shit about our relationship and you have no right to barge into my love life!”

 

Shit, she can feel the tears gathering in the corner of her eyes. They all notice, of course, and Shikamaru, who had taken a step back, wraps an arm around her waist.

 

“Fuck this, I hate all of you,” she manages to say before a sob drowns her next breath.

 

Sasuke looks like a deer facing a mist-nin and Naruto is paling the more tears spill on her reddening cheeks.

 

“I'm taking you home,” she hears Shikamaru whisper, his own words catching on the tears he's, too, trying to hold back.

“I'm taking both of you home.”

 

They turn around, wide eyes staring at Neji's unwavering face where he just appeared. Sakura hears Sasuke takes a breath, probably to say another completely unhelpful thing, but Neji _hisses_ at him and he stays quiet.

 

“Now if you'll excuse me, I believe my partners are in need of comfort. I may have failed to provide it lately, but that won't happen again,” and he says this while looking at them, his meaning clear. “My loves, I have apologies to offer and here might not be the best place for those. Follow me?”

 

Sakura and Shikamaru both take the hand he gives each of them and they start to walk. When he squeezes her palm in his, Sakura allows herself a content smile

 


End file.
